Our love that disappears

Come let us return to the Lord...he will bind up our wounds. - Hosea 6:1

So often, I approach and seek God for what He can do for me. Of course, I know in my mind that my purpose in life is for HIS glory not my own; yet, my discourse with God proves that my heart has not fully gotten there yet. Here, Hosea gives us an example of the unrepentant heart. While in need of something from God, it's easy to seek Him with our requests. We know that He desires to bless us, and is faithful to provide for our needs. But what about my part? It's easy for me to turn away from sin and turn to God in the short term, but what about the change of our heart that is necessary to remain faithful to God. Our unfaithful heart is described in this:

Your love is like the morning mist,
like the early dew that disappears. (Hos. 6:4)

I've heard about the need to repent immediately after sin so much that I can identify with this problem. I agree that repentance immediately is important, but are we emphasizing the time it takes over true repentance? To be true in your confession, there must be serious consideration of what changes need to take place in my life. Here the Israelites were quick to confess their need for God and were willing to acknowledge Him. Yet, their love was short lived and untrue. They were not willing to make a life change in order to follow the Lord, only for long enough to get what they wanted. Oh how easy it is to pass judgement on these Israelites....Until I remember that I'm the exact same way.

As sinful people, we want the easy way out- the quickest fix. We want the quick sacrifice to take care of everything, rather than the continual sacrifice of ourselves throughout life. God has a definite answer to that:

For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings. (Hos 6:6)